WASHINGTON – President Obama’s veto of the Keystone XL bill shows he stands for national policies that invest in clean renewable energy and that he understands the destructive impact this project would have on America’s environment and energy future.

It’s no secret that Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) disparages much of what the Environmental Protection Agency does, and his frequent attacks have garnered him quite the reputation in the environmental community.

If you think the risks associated with fracking for oil and gas disappear once a well stops producing and goes out of commission, think again. And that goes for conventional drilling technologies, too.

An Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled that a 2013 law put a stop to a lawsuit designed to force the state of California to examine the environmental effects of the highly controversial oil and gas drilling process called fracking.

Diesel fuels contain highly toxic chemicals, one of which is benzene, a known carcinogen. Even very small concentrations of benzene can contaminate water supplies. If benzene and other toxic chemicals seep into a community’s water, that’s a serious and possibly irreparable problem. Congress recognized diesel’s extraordinary dangers back in 2005 when it passed the federal Energy Policy Act. It exempted most oil and gas hydraulic drilling and fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act – but not fracking with diesel.

The California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources has today issued draft rules that will, for the first time ever, regulate all forms of oil and gas well drilling in the state, including the controversial practices of hydraulic fracturing and acidization.

It is essential to take fully into account the long-term risks and costs to health, environment and communities of all energy resources and to adopt policies based on least cost to consumers and minimal risk.

Toxic “fracking” fluids that spilled into a Kentucky creek after they were used to drill four natural gas wells were the cause of a major fish kill that included a threatened species, a new federal study has concluded.

Legislation passed today by California legislators would take important steps toward improving oversight of potentially dangerous methods of drilling for oil or natural gas or stimulating production, but it would give too much leeway to state officials trying to protect the public from the potential environmental and health risks associated with the controversial oil and gas extraction method known as fracking.

Putting “clean coal,” gas, nuclear, and unsustainable biomass under the “clean” umbrella is a triumph of rhetoric over reality. Nowhere does the "Clean Energy Standard" under discussion in Washington set goals for reducing dependence on coal, natural gas or nuclear and increasing reliance on truly clean, renewable energy sources.

The energy industry spends millions of dollars on lobbying and public relations to fend off pressure for necessary changes to their core businesses. The way to fight back is for local groups, grassroots organizations and concerned citizens to band together to show that dirty energy is no longer acceptable.